Wayne Pivac To Face All Blacks Double Date

Wales’ dates with the All Blacks next summer have been confirmed with Wayne Pivac set to face his countrymen on July 4 and 11.

The fixtures have been confirmed by New Zealand, who will host the first Test in Auckland and the second in Wellington.

It will be a return home for new Wales coach Wayne Pivac and the tour will also be a first visit to New Zealand by Wales for four years.

The sides met in the bronze medal match of the World Cup in Japan, where the All Blacks ran out 40-17 winners.

A week after the second Test against Wales, the All Blacks will play a one-off Test against Scotland in Dunedin.

It remains to be seen who will be in charge of New Zealand, with current All Blacks assistant Ian Foster and Crusaders coach Scott Robertson among the favourites to take over from Steve Hansen.

Former Wales coach Hansen has confirmed his long-expected move to Japan where he will take up a role as coaching consultant with Top League side Toyota Verblitz.

The 60-year-old stepped down from the All Blacks following their third-place finish at the Rugby World Cup. He spent 16 years with the team, the last eight as head coach, and was a part of two successful World Cup campaigns.

He will link up with former All Blacks captain Kieran Read, who signed a one-year contract with Toyota earlier this year.

“I’ve got a new job which involves me mentoring, consulting and advising at Toyota Verblitz,” said Hansen.

“It’s not as a head coach, it’s more as an advisor, a mentor, and it requires me to be up there for five to 17 weeks a year.”

Toyota are coached by fellow New Zealander Simon Cron, who was an assistant at the New South Wales Waratahs for two years until the end of the 2019 Super Rugby season.

“The key thing is to go in and work with the people in the environment,” Hansen added. “The opportunity to help him (Cron) grow is something that really excites me.

“While it’s not a full-time coaching role, it’s a role that still allows me to stay in the game. It’s also a role that will allow me to have the family time that I want to have and I’m really looking forward to it.”

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